Department for Transport

Railways: Electrification

Lord Scriven: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what criteria were used for setting the priorities for improving the Great Western rail line, Midland Main Line and TransPennine rail line announced on 24 June; and what were the individual scores for each scheme.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: In the case of the Midland Main Line, the desired passenger benefits can be delivered in the near term through the capacity improvements already planned for Control Period 5. Electrification is paused pending Sir Peter Hendy’s proposals on re-planning the delivery of enhancements.   In the case of North Trans Pennine Electrification east of Stalybridge a temporary pause pending Sir Peter’s proposals will allow Network Rail to deliver wider development work in the region that will enable delivery of our more ambitious plans for the North.   We are prioritising the electrification of the Great Western Line as the new IEP trains on order will deliver significant benefits to passengers. They will benefit from shorter journey times, better reliability, improved comfort and an increase in the number of seats in the morning peak into London Paddington.

South Wales Railway Line: Electrification

Baroness Randerson: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their current estimate of the timescale for completing the individual stages of the work electrifying the rail line to Swansea from London.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: As the Prime Minister stated on 24th June 2015, this Government is committed to the electrification of Great Western line from Swansea to Cardiff and on to London.   The Secretary of State for Transport announced on the 25th June 2015 that Great Western was his top priority for delivery.　The Secretary of State also described some of the challenges Network Rail is facing. That is why he has asked the new chair of Network Rail to put forward proposals for replanning the enhancement programme.　 The chair is due to report to the Secretary of State in the Autumn and it would be wrong to pre-empt the outcome of this report.

Railways: Wales

Baroness Randerson: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether Network Rail has been given authority to undertake the next stage of work on the South Wales Valleys line electrification following the agreement with the Welsh Government on funding in November 2014.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The Secretary of State for Transport announced on 25 June 2015 that Great Western was a top priority for delivery.　We are committed to electrifying the Great Western Swansea to Cardiff main line and are contributing £125mn to the Welsh Government’s Valley Lines electrification scheme. The delivery of the Welsh Valley Line Electrification scheme is a matter for the Welsh Government.

Railways: Wales

Baroness Randerson: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what stage in Network Rail's Governance for Railway Investment Projects planning process the plans to electrify the South Wales Valleys line have reached.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The Secretary of State for Transport announced on 25 June 2015 that Great Western was a top priority for delivery.　We are committed to electrifying the Great Western Swansea to Cardiff main line and are contributing £125mn to the Welsh Government’s Valley Lines electrification scheme. The delivery of the Welsh Valley Line Electrification scheme is a matter for the Welsh Government.

Railway Track

The Marquess of Lothian: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many miles of new railway line they estimate will have been laid in the United Kingdom by 2020.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: Her Majesty’s Government is not able to make an estimate of the amount of new railway line to be laid by 2020. However, the Government is supporting £38billion of Network Rail spend from 2014/15 to 2018/19 and this includes £13billion on enhancements and £12billion on renewing life expired parts of the network.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

UN Mission in Darfur

Baroness Cox: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they plan to make representations at the UN Security Council for renewing the mandate for UNAMID to remain in Darfur, and for enhancing its capacity for civilian protection.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: The UK led recent Security Council negotiations on the renewal of the UN–African Union Mission in Darfur (UNAMID)’s mandate. We are pleased that the mandate was renewed with a unanimous vote on 29 June. In the resolution, the Security Council emphasised that the Mission must continue to focus on its strategic priorities, including Protection of Civilians. After the vote, the UK Permanent Representative to the UN, Matthew Rycroft, made an Explanation of Vote statement that is attached to this answer.



Explanation of Vote statement
(Word Document, 19.02 KB)

Sudan

Baroness Cox: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what changes there will be in the United Kingdom’s relationship with the government of Sudan following elections judged by the Troika as unrepresentative of the will of the Sudanese people.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: Together with troika partners, the British Government has been clear in its assessment that Sudan’s recent elections cannot be considered a credible expression of the will of the Sudanese people. We remain committed to supporting those Sudanese people who wish to peacefully advance a comprehensive and legitimate political process towards ending the conflicts and towards long-term stability in Sudan. To this end, we will continue to engage with the Government of Sudan, not least to raise our concerns around the ongoing conflicts and their impact, as well as migration and human rights, among other issues.

Sudan

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the international community's strategy for Sudan, its coherence, and the resources for supporting it.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: Whilst there is no formally agreed international strategy on Sudan, we work closely with likeminded partners in the Troika (the US and Norway) and the EU and to pursue a coherent approach. This is reflected in public statements such as those issued by the Troika and the EU during Sudan’s recent elections. The international community, including the UK, continues to invest significant resources in supporting and protecting the people of Sudan, for example through the African Union-UN Hybrid Peacekeeping Mission in Darfur. In addition, the UK is a leading humanitarian donor in Sudan, with the majority of the Department for International Development’s £47 million programme in 2015-16 focussed on the provision of humanitarian assistance.

South Sudan: Armed Conflict

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the impact on women of ongoing conflict in South Sudan.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: Accurate assessments are hard to come by, due to the limitations of access. However, we remain deeply concerned by the impact on women of the ongoing conflict. Figures provided by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) show that 55% of those who have fled to neighbouring countries since December 2013 have been female. In addition, according to various humanitarian Gender-Based Violence (GBV) assessments, women and girls in the conflict-affected areas have experienced multiple forms of GBV. Particularly disturbingly, the latest Human Rights Report published by the UN Mission in South Sudan on 30 June also reported extensive testimony of rape in conflict areas, particularly in Unity State, where at least 79 women are believed to have been subjected to sexual violence. I highlighted my deep concern at these reports on social media. Together with its international partners, including the UN, US, EU and Norway, the UK continues to urge the parties to negotiate a resolution to the conflict.

Sudan: Rape

Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they plan to urge the UN Security Council to recommend that the International Criminal Court opens a specific investigation into the situation in the town of Tabit, North Darfur, following allegations that members of the Sudanese armed forces raped more than 220 girls and women on 31 October and 1 November 2014.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: The situation in Darfur has already been referred to the International Criminal Court (ICC) by the UN Security Council under UN Security Council Resolution 1593 (2005). As the prosecutor’s investigation is still ongoing, it could encompass any new allegations, including Tabit. However, such a decision would be for the Office of the Prosecutor of the Court to take. The UK remains a strong supporter of the ICC and continues to call on the Government of Sudan to allow the UN unfettered access to Tabit to carry out a full and independent investigation.

Sudan

Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what investigations have taken place following the aerial bombardments and attacks on civilians in Golo, in Jebel Marra district in Central Darfur, since January.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: The UN–African Union Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) continues to follow the fighting in the Jebel Marra region. This is reflected in recent reports of the Secretary General on Darfur, which note reports of aerial bombardments in villages north of Golo in January 2015 as well as troop movements around Golo during March. However, UNAMID’s ability to fully investigate has been hampered by access restrictions – an issue that the UK has raised repeatedly in the UN Security Council and with the Government of Sudan.

Strategic Defence and Security Review

Baroness Hodgson of Abinger: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how they plan to integrate their commitments on women, peace and security into the next Strategic Defence and Security Review; and whether they plan to consult on this matter.

Baroness Hodgson of Abinger: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they plan to include training on protection of civilians and how to respond to survivors of sexual violence in the next Strategic Defence and Security Review; and whether they plan to consult on this matter.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: The British Government is committed to the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security (WPS), including responses to conflict related sexual violence. This commitment was demonstrated by the launch in December 2014 of the UK Implementation Plan to accompany our National Action Plan (NAP) on WPS and my appointment in June by the Prime Minister, my right hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron), as his Special Representative on Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict. The UK is also a strong advocate internationally for the protection of civilians in conflict, including ensuring that protection of civilians is integrated across both humanitarian and development work. All these agendas span multiple strands of the Strategic Defence and Security Review (SDSR). The Cabinet Office is leading the consultation process for the SDSR, and will look to engage with our key allies, industry, academics, and a range of other interested parties.

Eritrea: Human Rights

Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what response they have made to the recent report by the United Nations Commission of Inquiry on Human Rights in Eritrea, in particular its findings regarding the failure of the rule of law, and the incidence of persecution, torture, forced labour and sexual enslavement of women, taking place within a "climate of impunity".

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: We recognise the important work of the Commission of Inquiry and we share its concerns regarding human rights in Eritrea, in particular widespread arbitrary detention and shortcomings in the rule of law and respect for fundamental freedoms. We regret the Government of Eritrea’s failure to receive the Commission in Asmara, which compelled the Commission in its report to rely on witnesses who are outside the country and whose testimony may have been based on first-hand experience of Eritrea some time ago. Eritrea continues to fall short of its international human rights obligations. We have called on Eritrea to honour these obligations through discussions under the UN Universal Periodic Review as well as the EU Article 8 Dialogue. We note that Eritrea has taken some positive steps in engaging with the international community on human rights, including the ratification of the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment in September 2014. We now call on the Government of Eritrea to follow through on these commitments with concrete action to strengthen the rule of law and to improve the human rights situation on the ground.

Eritrea: Emigration

Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have discussed with the government of Eritrea the case for seeking to relieve the current levels of migration across the Mediterranean by closing the borders in Eritrea.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: Addressing irregular migration requires a comprehensive plan that includes disrupting criminal trafficking and smuggling networks, and working with source countries to address the factors that cause migrants to leave their homes in the first place through developmental aid, addressing human rights abuses and tackling conflict.We remain deeply concerned by the high levels of irregular migration from Eritrea and have stepped up our bilateral dialogue on this issue. Our dialogue has not included discussion of closing Eritrea’s borders.

Crimes against Humanity

Lord Judd: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what arrangements they have made to ensure that early warning systems and country analysis include indicators of genocide and crimes against humanity, and that there is sufficient interdepartmental co-operation to achieve this.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: The British Government produces an annual internal risk report on fragile states called Countries at Risk of Instability (CRI). The report is used to help policy makers prioritise countries for Government engagement and ensure that policy responses are best placed to tackle evolving instability risks. As part of the CRI process, indicators that highlight a higher risk of mass atrocities occurring are used, such as levels of internal state repression, levels of inter-communal factionalism and the type of regime a country operates. The reports indicator set reflects best practice from many similar non-governmental organisations and partner governments approaches. Data is collected from a wide range of sources, including academia and Government subject matter expertise. The report is produced by the Cabinet Office and coordinates input from all relevant government departments and agencies.

Conflict, Stability and Security Fund

Lord Judd: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what arrangements they have made to ensure that their Conflict, Stability and Security Fund provides adequate and effective support for both their responsibility to protect and their commitments to preventing atrocities.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: The Conflict, Security and Stability Fund (CSSF) provides direct funding to both the Global Centre for the Responsibility to Protect and the joint UN office of the Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide and the Special Adviser on the Responsibility to Protect. This funding assists these organisations in their work to consolidate the concept of the Responsibility to Protect by continuing to build the institutional architecture to prevent mass atrocity crimes and to strengthen the capacity of countries, regional and sub-regional organisations and civil society to protect populations. In addition, the CSSF funds a wide range of activities regionally that, while not always explicitly labelled as atrocity prevention, nonetheless contribute to the prevention of atrocities. These include projects on preventing sexual violence, reducing intergroup tensions, strengthening justice systems and the rule of law, security sector reform, disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration.

Crimes against Humanity

Lord Judd: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they have taken to review the readiness of the United Kingdom to respond to crimes of atrocity and developing threats of genocide and other crimes against humanity anywhere in the world.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: The British Government’s global network of embassies, strong international partnerships, and early warning mechanisms give the UK significant insight into emerging threats. The UK remains committed to the Responsibility to Protect and seeks to respond to developing threats of atrocity crimes or genocide including through prevention projects, sanctions regimes or support for justice systems. Our seat on the UN Security Council also means we swiftly engage where a threat of such crimes emerges. Where prevention has failed, it is the international community's responsibility to take collective action, through diplomatic, humanitarian and other means. Where necessary, the UN Security Council should be ready to authorise coercive measures under Chapter VII of the UN Charter.

Conflict Pool

Lord Chidgey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government by how much they increased the resources of the Conflict Pool over the most recent spending review period.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: The Conflict Pool, which was succeeded by the Conflict Stability and Security Fund from Financial Year 15/16, was funded from a Treasury settlement which was separate from and additional to departmental budgets and was administered jointly by the Ministry of Defence, Department for International Development and Foreign and Commonwealth Office for conflict prevention and mitigation work. At the last spending review in June 2014 , the overall allocation increased from £664 million for 2013/14 to £683 million for 2014/15. Details of Conflict Pool allocations were made in the House of Lords on 24 June 2014 by the former Minister of State for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Baroness Warsi), (WS107).A Written Ministerial Statement about the Conflict Stability and Security was published on 12 March 2015 by the then Minister for Government Policy in the Cabinet Office, my right hon. Friend the member for West Dorset (Mr Letwin), which was repeated in the House of Lords by Lord Wallace of Saltaire, (HLWS379).

Burma: Sanctions

Baroness Goudie: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what sanctions are in place against Burma.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: The EU currently has sanctions in place on Burma. These measures include an arms embargo prohibiting the sale, supply, transfer or export of equipment which might be used for internal repression, whether or not originating in the Union, to any natural or legal person, entity or body in, or for use in Burma. The embargo also prohibits the provision of financing and technical assistance related to military activities, arms and related material, and equipment which might be used for internal repression. The EU recently renewed these measures until 30 April 2016. Countries outside the EU may have their own sanctions measures in place on Burma.

Burma: Sexual Offences

Baroness Goudie: To ask Her Majesty’s Government on which occasions ministers have raised the implementation of the Declaration of Commitment to End Sexual Violence in Conflict with ministers of the government of Burma.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: We welcomed the Burmese government’s endorsement of the Declaration of Commitment to End Sexual Violence in Conflict and attendance at the Global Summit in June 2014. But since the government endorsed the declaration, their implementation of the commitments contained within it has been limited and sexual violence remains a major problem in Burma.The Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for East Devon (Mr Swire), discussed sexual violence with Deputy Foreign Minister U Thant Kyaw on 13 June last year when, following considerable lobbying from the UK, U Thant Kyaw attended the Global Summit in London and endorsed the Declaration of Commitment to End Sexual Violence in Conflict. Most recently, this was raised in January when the then Minister of State at the Home Office, the right hon. Lynne Featherstone, visited Burma in her role as UK Champion for Tackling Violence Against Women. During her visit she discussed the issue with senior members of the Burmese government, including Ministers of the President’s Office, U Soe Thane and U Aung Min, and also with Deputy Foreign Minister U Thant Kyaw.

Burma: Political Prisoners

Baroness Goudie: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the British Ambassador to Burma has met relatives and representatives of political prisoners during 2015.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: We welcome the release of thousands of political prisoners under the current Burmese government. However, we remain concerned by the continued arrests, detentions and sentencing of political activists, with an estimated minimum of 163 remaining behind bars at the end of May 2015, and a further 442 awaiting trial following arrests throughout 2014 and early 2015.Our Ambassador and other officials from our Embassy in Rangoon are in regular contact with civil society groups representing political prisoners in Burma. They also talk to former political prisoners, including a meeting last week between the Ambassador and a former prisoner, and we continue to raise our concerns with the Government of Burma at the highest levels. At Ministerial level, the then Minister of State at the Home Office, the right hon. Lynne Featherstone, raised the issue of political prisoners directly with Minister for the President’s Office, U Soe Thane, during her visit to Burma in January.

Burma: War Crimes

Baroness Goudie: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs has raised with the President of Burma concerns regarding evidence of war crimes committed by the Burmese Home Affairs Minister.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), has not raised this particular issue with the President of Burma. While Burma has undergone a remarkable period of reform since the current government took power in 2011, we remain extremely concerned by allegations of historic human rights violations by the Burmese military. The UK is a strong supporter of the principle that there should be no impunity for the perpetrators of the most serious crimes. Any judgement on whether specific international crimes have occurred is a matter for international judicial decision rather than for governments or non-judicial bodies. There are a number of different models for moving on from conflict and ending impunity, and it is for the people of Burma, through their political representatives, to decide on the best model for their country.

Libya: Diplomatic Service

The Marquess of Lothian: To ask Her Majesty’s Government where the British Ambassador to Libya is currently based.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: Our Ambassador to Libya is currently based in Tunis.

Chechnya: Human Rights

Lord Judd: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what actions they are taking in the Council of Europe's Committee of Ministers to ensure that Russia implements the rulings of the European Court of Human Rights on Chechnya; and how many of those rulings remain unimplemented.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: The UK intervenes in every debate on the Chechnya cases in the Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers. In conjunction with other Member States, we have submitted written questions on specific actions Russia has taken to implement judgements on Chechnya. We have raised the cases bilaterally with the Russian delegation in Strasbourg, pressing for full implementation. We are also regularly briefed on the Chechnya cases by human rights non-governmental organisations in Strasbourg, London and Moscow. We will continue to use the Committee of Ministers as a key forum for encouraging Russia to fully implement key judgements relating to the North Caucasus – a vital step to ending the climate of impunity in the region. The Council of Europe’s website holds further information on the status of Russia’s implementation of European Court of Human Rights judgements on Chechnya, together with details of all actions taken by the Committee of Ministers in their supervision of these judgements.

Northern Ireland Office

Northern Ireland Government

Lord Browne of Belmont: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what progress has been made in discussions with political parties in Northern Ireland on dealing with the past.

Lord Dunlop: The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland held a series of bilateral meetings with all the five parties in the Executive in recent weeks. She also hosted a Stormont House Agreement implementation review meeting with party leaders on 25 June 2015. Following this meeting, an implementation progress report has been published:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/6-month-progress-report-for-stormont-house-agreementThe Stormont House Agreement must be delivered in full. The Government continues to make progress on delivering its responsibilities, including bringing forward legislation in the autumn to establish new bodies to deal with the past – the Historical Investigations Unit, the Independent Commission for Information Retrieval and the Oral History Archive.   



SHA Implementation Progress Report  
(PDF Document, 500.71 KB)

Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

Basic Skills: Young People

Lord Browne of Belmont: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps are being taken to better support young adults at or below average literacy and numeracy levels.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: Literacy and numeracy are the foundation for all achievement in education and critical for work and everyday life. We have set a clear expectation that having a good level of English and maths should be the norm. Learners who did not achieve a Level 2 in English and maths by the age of 16 are now required to continue to study those subjects post-16 and from September all 16-19 full-time students starting their study programme who have a grade D GCSE or equivalent in these subjects must be enrolled on a GCSE or approved IGCSE qualification in maths and/ or English. We have embedded English and maths within our core programmes for young people. Our Traineeships programme for young people puts English and maths at its core, alongside work preparation and work experience. All apprentices without level 2 qualifications in English and Maths are now required to work towards and take them. We fully fund all adults to achieve their first English and maths GCSE as well as any other qualifications which will help them find and sustain employment. We are improving qualifications to ensure they are relevant and robust. We have reformed English and maths GCSEs and are reviewing Functional Skills. We have invested over £30m to ensure that the Further Education workforce has the skills it needs to teach these subjects to a high level.

Employment: Females

Lord Stoddart of Swindon: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the Country-Specific Recommendations prepared by the European Commission, which found that there are too few women engaged in full-time work in the United Kingdom.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: The Government takes note of the Commission’s findings and recommendations. Latest Labour Market Statistics showed female employment in the UK is at its highest ever rate (68.6%), which makes it the 5th highest female employment rate in the EU.   The Government is committed to helping working women and families. In the last Parliament legislation was enacted which enables eligible working parents to share up to 50 weeks of leave and up to 37 weeks of pay where the mother ends her maternity leave and/or her maternity pay early so that she can opt into the new Shared Parental Leave and Pay system with the child’s father or her partner. All employees who have 26 weeks continuous service with their employer in the UK also now have the right to request flexible working. These measures enable eligible employees to better balance work with other commitments, including childcare.   The UK Government is also providing women and families with additional childcare support:   - Currently funding 15 hours a week of free childcare for all 3 and 4 year olds, and for the 40% most disadvantaged 2 year olds. - Committing to giving working parents of 3 and 4 year olds 30 hours of free childcare a week, with implementation starting in some areas in September 2016. - Providing support for childcare costs of people on lower incomes, up to 70% of costs under the childcare element on working tax credits, which will rise to 85% from April 2016 under Universal Credit. - Introducing Tax Free Childcare which will provide up to 1.8 million families across the UK with up to £2,000 of childcare support per year, per child.

Universities: Freedom of Expression

Baroness Deech: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the case for promoting freedom of speech in universities in the United Kingdom.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: The promotion of freedom of speech in universities is a legal obligation under the Education (No2) Act 1986, and is fully supported by the Government, alongside protecting staff and students from being drawn into terrorism or violence and from being exposed to racial or religious hatred.

Higher Education: Regulation

Baroness Nye: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have any plans to review the higher education regulatory framework.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: The Government keeps the higher education regulatory framework under review to ensure it continues to support a high quality higher education sector.

Department for International Development

South Sudan

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to ensure the adequate funding of the UN Humanitarian Air Service in South Sudan in order to facilitate access to hard-to-reach areas in the rainy season.

Baroness Verma: The UK is the second largest bilateral donor to the humanitarian response in South Sudan, contributing more than £230m since the start of the crisis (including £60m to the regional response for South Sudanese refugees). This includes funding to the UN Humanitarian Air Service.

South Sudan

Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether there are plans to increase funding for multi-year programmes focusing on resilience in South Sudan, in place of short-term projects.

Baroness Verma: DFID has been providing multi-year resilience programming in South Sudan since 2012. Plans to increase this support with a new multi-year resilience programme are under consideration.

South Sudan

Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they plan to contribute to appeals for humanitarian assistance for South Sudan; and, if so, by how much.

Baroness Verma: The UK is the second largest bilateral donor to the humanitarian response in South Sudan. In 2014, the UK committed £132.5m to the humanitarian crisis in South Sudan and a further £58.9 million to support South Sudanese refugees in the region. On 16 June 2015, the UK announced an additional £40million in support of the humanitarian response in South Sudan.

St Helena: Airports

Lord Jones of Cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the planned opening date of St Helena Airport.

Baroness Verma: The airport scheduled to open for commercial flights from the end of February 2016, subject to completion of the remaining works and to meeting all regulatory requirements. An official opening ceremony is planned for later that year.

Ministry of Justice

Data Protection

Lord Browne of Belmont: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to help people protect their personal data.

Lord Faulks: The Government takes the protection of personal data very seriously and is committed to making sure that the Information Commissioner has sufficient powers to ensure that organisations handle personal data appropriately and in accordance with the principles in the Data Protection Act 1998. Over the last six months a number of steps have been taken to strengthen the Information Commissioner’s powers; including:· Extending the Information Commissioner’s powers of compulsory audit to public sector NHS providers.· Commencing section 56 of the Data Protection Act (DPA). This makes it a criminal offence for a person to require another person to use their subject access rights in the DPA to obtain and provide certain records as a condition of employment, or for providing a service, unless the relevant record is required by law or where it is justified in the public interest.· Making it easier for the Information Commissioner to take action against companies that breach the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations by making nuisance calls.

Department for Work and Pensions

Employment and Support Allowance

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, when they publish the statistics on the number of recipients of Employment and Support Allowance benefit who died between November 2011 and May 2014 who had been found fit for work or told they could move towards getting work, whether these figures will be in a form that will allow comparisons with previous statistics.

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, when they publish the statistics on the number of recipients of Employment and Support Allowance benefit who died between November 2011 and May 2014, whether they will be published in the same format as those published in 2012, and if not, why not.

Lord Freud: The format of any publication is a matter for the Head of Profession of Statistics who ensures the required standards are followed. The publication is still in development and the final format has yet to be determined.

State Retirement Pensions

Lord Bradley: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the latest estimate of the percentage of pensioners who will receive the full amount of the flat-rate State Pension from April 2016.

Baroness Altmann: Nearly 90% of people reaching State Pension age in 2016/17 would have the full rate of the new State Pension, or more, if we include the amount of additional State Pension they opted out of or were opted out of when contracted out of SERPS or State Second Pension (S2P) (additional pension). The percentage of pensioners reaching State Pension age in 2016/17 estimated to receive the full amount of the new State Pension directly from the state is around 37%. By 2020 this percentage will reach around 50% and by 2035 around 84%. Most people who contracted out of SERPS or S2P were required, as a condition of contracting out, to accrue an alternative private pension. This replaced the additional State Pension, which they were contracted-out of. This reflects the fact that when contracted out they have either paid National Insurance Contributions at a lower rate, or some of the National Insurance contributions they paid were used to contribute to a private pension instead of the additional State Pension. They paid lower National Insurance into the National Insurance system, which reflected the fact that they were contributing to a private pension instead.

Social Security Benefits: Disqualification

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they plan to replace benefit sanctions with community service, for those who are unemployed, disabled or in chronic bad health.

Lord Freud: There are no current plans to replace benefit sanctions with community service.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Trees: Imports

Lord Framlingham: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Gardiner of Kimble on 23 June (HL368), how many young trees were imported for non-forest reproductive purposes, as monitored through the statutory notification schemes administered by the Animal and Plant Health Agency, in the planting seasons 2012–13, 2013–14 and 2014–15.

Lord Gardiner of Kimble: The data provided relates to all tree notifications received regarding imports under the statutory notification scheme, administered by the Animal and Plant Health Agency. This data combines the number of notifications from the start of the scheme in January 2013. These notifications cover the species elm, oak, ash, pine, plane and sweet chestnut from the dates they were added to the statutory notification scheme.   No notifications were received for ash, as movement restrictions have been in place since 2012 due to ash dieback.   This data does not distinguish whether a tree is young or not. Notification of age is not a requirement under the scheme and is therefore not recorded.   In summary, 3548 notifications were received covering approximately 1.6 million trees.   Tree speciesUlmus (Elm)Quercus (Oak)Pinus (Pine)Plantanus (Plane)Castenea (Sweet Chestnut)TotalNotifications772,3717781881343,548Trees8,8021,117,696424,94810,98335,1581,597,587

Home Office

British Nationality: English Language

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the quality of examination centres used by the International English Language Testing System and Trinity College London for English language tests used for applications for citizenship.

Lord Bates: The Home Office has improved its business requirements for the quality of examination centres under the new Concession Agreements by assessing the Service Provider solutions which were evaluated in accordance with the business requirements.The Concession Agreements were awarded to those Service Providers that were able to meet those business requirements.Before they began, Service Providers were required to meet a pre-check process to ensure the quality of the examination centres were delivered.The Home Office has introduced a robust contract management process to ensure that the Service Providers continue to provide quality examination centres during the life of the Concession Agreement.

Immigration Controls: France

Lord Berkeley: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the statement by Lord Bates on 24 June (HL Deb, col 1591-3), how much they, the government of France, and the operator of the Channel Tunnel and terminal paid respectively towards the installation of fencing around parts of Calais and roads approaching the terminal, the provision of scanners and detection technology, and to the ongoing operating costs of these measures, including dog searches.

Lord Bates: Port perimeter fencing installed in the autumn of 2014 and the current work to fence the Port approach road have been financed from the UK/France Joint Fund - established in September 2014 - including £12m from the UK Government. Border Force and the French Authorities meet their respective operating costs. On 2 July, the Home Secretary and the French Interior Minister reaffirmed the determination of both countries to strengthen and complete their joint strategy to deal with this common challenge, including by increasing the intervention fund to secure access to the Channel Tunnel.In addition, the UK has invested £2 million to detect people hiding in lorries by upgrading vehicle scanning equipment with the latest technology; and a further £1million to increase the number of sniffer dogs stationed at Calais and other ports. The Government has also strengthened physical security further by investing nearly £200,000 in perimeter detection security cameras.

Refugees: Mediterranean Sea

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty’s Government why only five United Kingdom immigration workers were initially sent to assist the EU mission tackling migration in the Mediterranean.

Lord Bates: Operation Triton, the EU’s mission in the Mediterranean, has been co-ordinated by Frontex since its inception in November 2014. This limits our ability to support its activities as the UK is not a participant in the Frontex Regulation. The UK is able to support Frontex activities in an advisory capacity, although our seconded officers do not have the legal powers or protections afforded to officers from the Schengen countries. Frontex request resource from Member States, based on its assessment of the needs of its operations. The UK has responded positively to all requests from Frontex for UK support for their 2015 maritime operations in the Central and Eastern Mediterranean. Before the recent intensification in the EU response, Frontex had limited their request to the supply of five officers. Following the extraordinary European Council meeting on Migration in April, Frontex’s budget and assets were increased for its operations in the Central and Eastern Mediterranean. In response, the UK was able to offer additional debriefers and screeners as well as HMS Bulwark and two cutters for search and rescue activities in Triton’s increased operational area. In addition, the UK has provided significant support through other EU agencies. In particular, the UK has contributed more resource than any other Member State to practical efforts coordinated by the European Asylum Support Office (EASO), totalling over 1,000 days over the last three years in support of EU efforts in Greece, Italy, Bulgaria and Cyprus. Further to this, up to 90 officers, from a number of UK agencies, will be deployed in the UK, the Mediterranean and Africa as part of the Organised Immigration Crime Task Force to pursue and disrupt the organised crime groups profiting from the people smuggling trade. The taskforce will exploit every opportunity at source, in transit countries and in Europe to tackle the gangs' criminal operations and better protect the UK from this threat.

Illegal Immigrants: France

Lord Mawson: To ask Her Majesty’s Government when was the last time a Home Office Minister sat in a lorry cab, originating from the United Kingdom, driving through the port of Calais and observed first-hand the practical realities lorry drivers are experiencing.

Lord Bates: There is regular Ministerial and official level contact with the haulage sector and their trade bodies, which provides clear insight of the experience of hauliers using the Channel ports. The Minister for Immigration recently hosted a series of round table discussions with industry to discuss the current situation in Northern France and how we can work better to address the challenges. The round tables focused on three key areas: the challenges facing the UK haulage sector; international engagement; and disruption to food supply businesses. The sessions were well attended by industry and international partners. We have a significant programme of work flowing from these sessions, much of which will involve close working with the haulage sector

Domestic Violence

Lord Ouseley: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the factors contributing to reported increasing levels of domestic violence; and what action they propose to take to tackle and reduce such incidents.

Lord Bates: The Government welcomes the fact that more victims of domestic abuse have the confidence to report this hideous crime. The prevalence of domestic abuse has remained flat since 2007/8 with an estimated 2.1 million victims of domestic abuse in the last year (data from the Crime Survey for England and Wales). The Government has driven improvements in the criminal justice system’s response to domestic abuse resulting in a rise in police referrals, prosecutions and convictions for this terrible crime.This Government is committed to ensuring that the police have the tools they need to tackle domestic violence and abuse and improve the protection available to victims. We have introduced Domestic Violence Protection Orders and the Domestic Violence Disclosure Scheme to help break the cycle of abuse and we have introduced a new offence to criminalise coercive and controlling behaviour as part of the Serious Crime Act 2015. Following the report by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) in March 2014 criticising the police response to domestic abuse, every police force now has an action plan in place to improve how they police domestic abuse.

Visas: Sports Competitors

Baroness Doocey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of whether visas intended for sports people have been used to traffic children from Africa into the United Kingdom.

Lord Bates: The Home Office continually monitors all routes where there is a suspected risk of abuse.

Visas: Sports Competitors

Baroness Doocey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have had any discussions with the Premier League and the Football Association about the issue of child trafficking to the United Kingdom using visas intended for sports people.

Lord Bates: We have regular discussions with sporting bodies to ensure that immigration routes are being used as intended and not being used for abuse by either sponsors or migrants. Where we have evidence that immigration routes are being used to facilitate trafficking we take a robust response.

Visas: Sports Competitors

Baroness Doocey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many victims of trafficking, if any, have been referred to the National Referral Mechanism having entered the United Kingdom at any time on a visa intended for sports people.

Lord Bates: We are unable to provide the information requested as it would require a manual review of all referrals and associated records going back to 2009, which would only be achievable at a disproportionate cost.

Illegal Immigrants

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the proportion of illegal migrants living in the United Kingdom who entered the United Kingdom on a visa.

Lord Bates: There are no government estimates on the number of illegal migrants currently living in the UK who entered the country on a visa. Any such estimation would be extremely difficult and there would be considerable uncertainty around it. Instead of producing such uncertain estimates, Her Majesty's Government is focusing on making it harder for people to live in the UK illegally and has introduced exit checks, which over time, will improve the ability to identify individuals who have overstayed.

British Nationality: English Language

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Bates on 30 June (HL705), whether the competitive procurement exercise that secured two Concession Service Providers of English language testing in the United Kingdom, and one for overseas, was subject to an open tender process; and if not, what was the nature of the competitive procurement process, and how many providers were invited to tender.

Lord Bates: The Home Office advertised the tender opportunity using a contract notice on the TED (Tenders Electronic Daily - the online version of the 'Supplement to the Official Journal of the European Union', dedicated to European public procurement). The Home Office followed the principles of the Open Procedure. There were 22 providers who were invited to tender.

British Nationality: English Language

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they plan to publish the report of the independent review into the provision of English language testing.

Lord Bates: There are no plans to publish the independent review into the provision of English Language testing.

HM Treasury

Banks: Iceland

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Deighton on 29 August 2013 (HLWA387), what amounts the Treasury has recovered following the collapse of the Icelandic banks Kauphting Singer and Friedlander Ltd, Heritable Bank Plc and Icesave (Landsbaki h.f), and the compensation paid; how much remains to be recovered; how much of that has been written off as unrecoverable, and for what reasons.

Lord O'Neill of Gatley: In total, £8.64 billion was paid out by the Treasury to compensate UK retail depositors of the Icelandic banks Kauphting Singer and Friedlander Ltd (KSF), Heritable Bank Plc and Landsbanki (Icesave). The Treasury has recovered £7.71 billion to date. The Government expects to make a full recovery of the outstanding funds from the three estates.

Crown Lands and Estates

Lord Stoddart of Swindon: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the Crown Estate is the property of the reigning monarch; whether a majority of the income from the Estate is used in the interest of taxpayers; and what is the amount by which taxpayers benefited in the tax year 2014–15.

Lord O'Neill of Gatley: The Crown Estate belongs to the reigning monarch 'in right of The Crown', that is, it is owned by the monarch for the duration of their reign, by virtue of their accession to the throne. But it is not the private property of the monarch - it cannot be sold by the monarch, nor do revenues from it belong to the monarch. The revenue surplus from the Estate is paid to the Consolidated fund. For 2014-15, this was £285.1million.

Department for Energy and Climate Change

Climate Change

The Earl of Shrewsbury: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what their plans are to fight climate change.

Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth: The Climate Change Act 2008 introduced a target for the UK to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 80%, based on 1990 levels. This followed advice from the Committee on Climate Change who deemed that 80% was a fair share from the UK to an international effort to limit global warming to 2 degrees.Our policies are designed to tackle climate change and make the transition to a low carbon economy. This includes: · Helping consumers and businesses to save money on their energy bills · Making homes more energy efficient · Helping consumers to take control of their energy use with smart meters · Decarbonising the power sector in the most cost effective way

Hinkley Point C Power Station

Lord Stoddart of Swindon: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of whether the legal challenge by the government of Austria against the use of United Kingdom subsidies for the Hinkley Point C nuclear power station will delay the project.

Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth: The Government is confident that the European Commission’s State aid decision on Hinkley Point C is legally robust and has no reason to believe that Austria has submitted a challenge that has any merit or would delay the project.

Cabinet Office

Muslim Brotherhood Review

Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Bridges of Headley on 22 June (HL433), what progress they have made in setting a timetable for the publication of the Muslim Brotherhood Review.

Lord Bridges of Headley: The Government continues work to finalise the Counter Extremism Strategy, and intends to publish both it and the main findings of the Muslim Brotherhood Review this year.

Ministers' Private Offices

Lord Hennessy of Nympsfield: To ask Her Majesty’s Government which members of the Cabinet have established an extended ministerial office; and what are the names, skills and backgrounds of the staff recruited to serve in each.

Lord Bridges of Headley: No Extended Ministerial Offices have been established, but a number are being considered.

Charities

Lord Stoddart of Swindon: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Wallace of Saltaire on 23 June 2014 (HL216), how many charities shared in the £5.9 billion of government and NHS funding, and which charities those were.

Lord Bridges of Headley: The information is not held centrally and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Civil Servants: Training

Lord Hunt of Chesterton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to introduce co-ordinated training for civil servants at all levels in the central, devolved and regional governments and major government agencies, in order to improve how different branches of government collaborate.

Lord Bridges of Headley: All civil servants across UK have access to e-learning, online resources and classroom courses via Civil Service Learning. These allow civil servants at all levels in central, devolved and regional governments and major government agencies, to work and learn together.In addition, for senior leaders, there are several academies within Government such as the Commissioning Academy and the Major Projects Leadership Academy, which bring together leaders from across the public sector and support their collaboration.

Department for Culture Media and Sport

Mobile Phones: Fees and Charges

Lord Bowness: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they supported the decision of the Council of the European Union to postpone the implementation of the European Commission's proposal to abolish roaming charges by 2015 until 2018; and, if so, why.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: UK has consistently pushed for faster reductions to roaming charges in the EU, leading to their abolition. I am therefore pleased that, on 29 June, the European Council, Parliament and Commission reached agreement on the Telecoms Single Market Package.As a result, from June 2017 British visitors will no longer be charged extra to use their mobile phones anywhere in the EU. From June 2016 until the abolition of roaming charges, the amount providers can charge for roaming will be about 25% of current roaming tariffs for calls and data. The UK has been central to shaping these negotiations, which will result in real benefits for UK consumers, demonstrating that the UK can achieve positive change in the EU when we work with determination with other Member States and the EU institutions.

BBC: Midlands

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions they have had with the BBC regarding its levels of investment in the Midlands.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions they have had with the BBC about the reduction in programme-making at the Mailbox in Birmingham.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: No such discussions have taken place. However these very issues were discussed by the Minister for Culture in a Westminster Hall debate on 23 June this year. The Secretary of State will be announcing the process for Charter Review in due course, but the level of investment in the Midlands or elsewhere is ultimately a matter for the BBC.

Department of Health

College of Social Work

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the closure of the College of Social Work on the quality of social workers.

Lord Prior of Brampton: The Government recognises the need for a strong professional body for social work, both in terms of promoting the vital work that social workers do and to deliver the high standards for the profession that both users of social work services and the general public expect and deserve.   While the College of Social Work (the college) has made some progress in driving up standards, they have not been able to deliver the improvements at the pace and to the standard required. Out of 90,000 social workers in England, only 16,000 have chosen to become members of the College and of those only about 1,000 are active members.   The Government remains committed to supporting the social work profession and will engage with key stakeholders to continue to improve the quality of social work.

MRSA

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they are taking to protect public health following the discovery of a strain of MRSA in pork products sold in British supermarkets, which is linked to the overuse of powerful antibiotics in intensive farm production.

Lord Prior of Brampton: Livestock-associated meticillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (LA-MRSA) has been found worldwide and is not the same as the MRSA strains that normally cause healthcare-associated infections. If meat is stored, handled and prepared properly, the risk to people is very low and there are no known cases of people contracting LA-MRSA from eating meat.   The annual progress report and implementation plan for the UK five-year Antimicrobial Resistance Strategy includes the measures on animal health to be taken over the next four years to promote the responsible use of antibiotics. This is attached and available at:   https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/progress-report-on-the-uk-five-year-amr-strategy-2014   Regarding LA-MRSA specifically, there are a number of initiatives to reduce the risk, for example, Public Health England regularly reminds diagnostic laboratories of the need for continued vigilance and ensuring that MRSA isolates are submitted for further tests if there may be an association with farming. In addition, Defra and the Veterinary Medicines Directorate are leading a review of options for increased surveillance, which will be proportionate to the low public health risk. Defra is also considering additional guidance for farmers on how to reduce the risk of importing LA-MRSA into their farm. Furthermore Defra have previously worked with the National Pig Association and recommend that anyone importing breeding pigs and semen to Britain should have them screened for MRSA before importation. 



AMR Strategy
(PDF Document, 2.07 MB)

Infectious Diseases

Lord Jones of Cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what research is being supported by Public Health England and the Animal and Plant Health Agency into the global health and economic security threats posed by pandemics caused by emerging zoönoses and coronaviruses.

Lord Prior of Brampton: The United Kingdom has robust systems in place to detect, assess and respond to infectious disease threats of both natural and deliberate origin. This was tested during the assessment of the application of the Global Health Security Agenda Assessment Tool and was considered to be an exemplar of good practice. These systems are particularly strong across Public Health England (PHE) and the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) for emerging zoonotic threats, and the UK has been seen as one of the world leaders in putting One Health into action. Zoonotic diseases are included within the Government’s National Risk Register as high risk and needing cross Government action to reduce the threat, mitigate the risk and respond to cases/outbreaks.   PHE undertakes a varied programme of research into infectious agents and medical tools required to detect, diagnose, recognise, and respond to outbreaks of infectious disease. PHE collaborates with academia on modelling threats posed by emerging zoonoses and assess the roles of cross-immunity and seasonal influenza vaccination on the emergence of pandemic strains. During the recent Ebola virus outbreak in West Africa, PHE conducted research on the design and assessment of containment equipment for safe diagnostics in West Africa; improving diagnosis, understanding pathogenesis, and assessing treatment/prevention approaches for Ebola virus disease in animal models and human clinical trials. This capability is and can be applied to all pathogens, including those which are zoonotic.   APHA is engaged in a number of research projects on the subject of zoonotic pathogens with pandemic potential. This includes: the rapid detection of coronaviruses, studies into the ability of H5N1 avian influenza viruses to infect, adapt and become transmissible in mammalian species and research into risks and pathways for the introduction of Chinese-origin H7N9 avian influenza virus into United Kingdom and European poultry. APHA is also engaged in various research projects with international and external collaborators, including European consortiums assessing new and emerging diseases.

Alcoholic Drinks

Lord Stoddart of Swindon: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they consider that alcohol strategy is best administered by member states or the European Union, in the light of their agreement to a proposal at the European Health Council on 19 June that the European Union should adopt its own strategy on the subject.

Lord Prior of Brampton: Public health is primarily the responsibility of Member States. The Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union gives the EU a role to support Member States in this area. The Government sees this as a useful role.   In seeking a new EU alcohol strategy to replace the current one, we are not calling for new competences for the EU, nor for new legislation, but for greater coherence in whatever the EU does now and some flexibility to allow effective national policies. There are, for example, aspects of a national alcohol strategy that cannot be pursued without change at EU level. This is consistent with our stance on EU reform.   The House of Lords European Union Committee published its report on a new EU Alcohol Strategy on 6 March 2015 (8th Report of Session 2014-15). The Government will respond to the Committee’s recommendations in due course.